Substance abuse treatment: registration and certification.

Existing law grants the State Department of Health Care Services the sole authority in state government to determine the qualifications of personnel working within alcoholism or drug abuse recovery and treatment programs licensed, certified, or funded under state law. Existing law requires the department to require that a person providing counseling services within those programs be registered with or certified by a certifying organization approved by the department, except as specified. This bill would exempt graduate students participating in supervised internships affiliated with university programs in psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, or counseling, who are completing supervised practicum hours to meet postgraduate requirements, and associates registered with the Board of Behavioral Sciences from the registration and certification requirement. This bill would require exempted programs providing practicum for graduate students to report to all department-approved certifying organizations a graduate student who has been removed from practicum as a result of an ethical or professional conduct violation. Existing law prohibits the department from approving a certifying organization that does not, prior to registering or certifying a counselor, contact other department-approved certifying organizations to determine whether an individual has had their registration or certification revoked. Existing law requires certifying organizations to deny an individual's request for registration if the individual's certification has been previously revoked. This bill would prohibit the department from approving a certifying organization that does not, prior to registering or certifying a counselor, contact other department-approved certifying organizations to determine whether an individual has been removed from a postgraduate practicum for an ethical or professional violation. This bill would also require a certifying organization to deny an individual's request for registration if the individual has been removed from a postgraduate practicum for an ethical or professional violation. The bill would require the department to adopt regulations to implement these provisions on or before December 31, 2025. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 11833 of the Health and Safety Code proposed by AB 2473 to be operative only if this bill and AB 2473 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.